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Durham

Solar panels in South Shields, with the numbers shown.

About 6,250 kWh a year from 12 panels in South Shields, £6,360 installed, with your system designed on a free 30-minute video call.

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  • Free 30-minute video design call
  • Priced before anyone visits
  • Installed by our MCS-certified, fully insured teams
Sunlight in South Shields

What a roof in South Shields can generate

From 29.5 kWh per kWp in December to 127.9 in May: a roof in South Shields makes 4.3 times as much in its best month as in its darkest, and 982 kWh per kWp across the year.

Map showing South Shields in Durham A simplified outline map of Durham with neighbouring counties shown faintly, and a pin marking the location of South Shields.
South Shields in Durham

Generation per kWp, month by month

South Shields, 982 kWh per kWp a year
South Shields, monthly generation per kWp Bar chart, twelve months January to December. Peak May at 128 kWh/kWp. Lowest December at 29.5 kWh/kWp. Full values are in the table below this chart. 147 0 JFMAMJJASOND 128
Show the monthly figures
South Shields, monthly generation per kWp - monthly figures (kWh/kWp)
MonthkWh/kWp
January34
February52.3
March86
April113
May128
June116
July120
August108
September92
October61.9
November41.6
December29.5

Source: PVGIS v5.2 (European Commission JRC), SARAH3 database, 1 kWp, 14% system loss, 35 degree pitch, due south, checked September 2026.

6,250kWh a year, 12 panels
810kWh in May, the peak
190kWh in December

Our GB average is 925 kWh per kWp a year, the mean of the 85 county PVGIS estimates we publish; at 982, South Shields is 6% above it.

How South Shields compares

South Shields is one of 35 Durham towns we track, and it ranks 1st of 35 for solar yield. The House of Commons Library settlement data classes it as a large town of 74,568 people. At 982 kWh per kWp a year, a typical 12 panel system here pays for itself in around 7.2 years on the 12p scenario: £884 of year one benefit against £6,360 installed, £247 of that benefit from cutting 26.32p imports with your own generation.

These are starting numbers, not a quote. The calculator below opens on South Shields' own PVGIS figure; change the panels, the battery or the export rate and it reruns. The design call replaces every assumption with your roof and your bills.

South Shields sits within South Tyneside, its local planning authority, and the House of Commons Library classes it as a large town.

12 panels
530W panels. Most semi-detached roofs take 10 to 16 on one pitch.
Add a battery?
Installed prices. The named packages are the ones running on our current offers; the Duracell prices are for an installation alongside solar.
Electricity use
Export rate scenario
EV charger?
Estimated benefit, year one
£884
£74 a month · payback 7.2 yrs
System price, installed
£6,360
Simple payback
7.2 yrs
Generates a year
6,246 kWh
Exported
5,309 kWh at 12p
Where the money comes from
Solar you use, Export income, Off-peak shifting,

Your real roof and usage, worked through on a free 30-minute video call. Use the full form or leave three details below.

Price this for your roof

Three details. We call or text within one working day to book your free 30-minute design call, on video or by phone if you prefer.

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Free, no obligation, nobody visits your home. Prefer to talk? 07782 219224

Your design call is with Niall or Vince, our residential energy consultants.

Generation is modelled from PVGIS satellite data for South Shields' own coordinates (54.97921, -1.42403), using the same 26.32p/kWh import value and £1,000 per kWp installed pricing as every Clearline estimate; the methodology is on our help page.

Local grid

Connecting solar to the South Shields network

South Shields sits in Northern Powergrid's North East England licence area, so Northern Powergrid is the network operator (DNO) any solar panels or battery here are registered with.

G98 is the simple route. If the inverter, plus any battery, stays at or under 3.68kW per phase, Northern Powergrid only has to be told within 28 days after the system is commissioned.

A bigger inverter or battery output needs a G99 application in advance. Northern Powergrid publishes a guaranteed standard of 45 working days to quote for a low voltage generation connection.

Sources: NESO DNO licence areas (3 May 2024); Northern Powergrid, generation connections page, checked 25 September 2026. G98 vs G99, explained.

Aerial view of a large flat-roof solar array of around ninety panels on a modern brick home
A flat-roof array of around 90 panels, fitted for a large modern home.
Beyond solar

Adding a heat pump or an EV charger in South Shields

A heat pump in South Shields

Solar and a heat pump pull in opposite directions through the year: South Shields' roofs make 1,000 kWh from November to February on a 12-panel system, and 3,000 kWh from May to August. The heating season leans on the grid, so off-peak rates do the heavy lifting.

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme, open in England and Wales, takes £7,500 off an air source or ground source heat pump, or £2,500 off an air-to-air unit. Homes on oil or LPG with no mains gas get £1,500 more until March 2027 (gov.uk, checked 28 September 2026).

How heat pumps work

Charging an EV in South Shields

From April to September, 69% of a South Shields roof's yearly output arrives, peaking at about 810 kWh in May on 12 panels. A car parked at home in daylight can soak up what the house, at around 70 kWh of daytime use that month, cannot.

Renters and flat owners with private off-street parking can get 75% off a chargepoint and its installation, up to £500 per socket, until 31 March 2027 (gov.uk, checked 28 September 2026). The calculator above adds a 7.4kW smart charger from £1,100 installed.

EV charging explained

Already got panels?

Solar panel servicing and repair in South Shields

Guidance is nationwide, so the benchmarks hold in South Shields: repair costs, service scope, and when the inverter is the real fault.

FAQs

South Shields solar questions

What could a roof in South Shields generate?

PVGIS puts a roof in South Shields at 982 kWh per kWp a year, 2.69 peak sun hours a day averaged across the seasons. A 12-panel, 6.36 kWp system makes about 6,250 kWh a year, most of it between April and September.

What would 12 solar panels cost in South Shields?

£6,360 for 12 panels (6.36 kWp), the same as in every other place we cover, because solar is priced at £1,000 per kWp installed rather than by area. A battery adds its own installed price on top. Where South Shields differs is output: about 6,250 kWh a year from that system.

Do I need permission from the DNO for solar in South Shields?

Usually not in advance. Northern Powergrid, the network operator for South Shields, only needs a G98 notification within 28 days of commissioning for systems up to 3.68kW per phase. Bigger inverter or battery outputs need G99 approval first. Northern Powergrid publishes a guaranteed standard of 45 working days to quote for a low voltage generation connection. "See our DNO explainer.

How much would export pay on a system in South Shields?

It is exported. With typical use and no battery, about 5,309 kWh of the 6,250 kWh a 12-panel system makes in South Shields goes to the grid, around £637 a year at 12p. A battery keeps more of it for the evening; the export rates table shows what suppliers pay.

Do solar panels work in winter in South Shields?

Yes, at a lower level. PVGIS gives South Shields 29.5 kWh per kWp in December and 34 in January, so a 12-panel system makes about 190 kWh and 220 kWh in those months, against 810 kWh in May. Winter output mostly covers daytime use rather than exporting.

How South Shields compares with its neighbours

Same satellite dataset, same assumptions, so the differences are real geography rather than modelling noise.

TownkWh per kWp a yearvs South Shields
South Shields982this town
Jarrow979−3 kWh
Tynemouth973−9 kWh
Hebburn963−19 kWh
Wallsend966−16 kWh
Whitley Bay973−9 kWh
Sunderland977−5 kWh

Same PVGIS v5.2 query for every town. Small differences are within year-to-year weather; more than about 30 kWh per kWp apart is geography.

Also for South Shields: Solar panels in South Shields from OVO Solar & Battery

All of Durham

Also near South Shields

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Takes about two minutes. We call or text within one working day to book your free 30-minute video design call at a time that suits you. We design it around your roof and your numbers, and our MCS-certified, fully insured installation teams install it.

Installations can only go ahead for homeowners, as the system is fixed to the property. Do carry on if you own it, or you are about to.
Flats and apartments usually share a roof, which rules most installations out. Send your details anyway and we will tell you honestly what is possible.
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